The summer transfer window is days away. The World Cup is underway. But life does not stand still at clubs like Chelsea. The Blues will know the importance of strengthening the squad this summer, having finished 10th in the Premier League and without a single trophy.
Xabi Alonso’s arrival is expected to have an impact on their transfer strategy moving forward. It has been claimed that he will have his say on recruitment, more so than his predecessors.
Alonso will surely have his favourites from his time at Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen. And it looks like he has his eyes set on one of them.
It had been reported a few days back by Sports Boom that Alonso has identified Arda Guler as his absolute priority target ahead of the summer transfer window. The report also went on to state though that Real Madrid had no intention of letting the Turkish international leave.
Chelsea readying bid for Real Madrid player
In the past, we have seen Real Madrid let go of players in or around their prime if the right offer is presented. Angel Di Maria, Raphael Varane and Casemiro all joined Manchester United while at the top of their games.
While they might not have met expectations or enjoyed the same success at Old Trafford, that was not down to Real Madrid.
Now, the report from Ekrem Konur on Sports Boom went on to claim that Chelsea could put an offer close to £100 million on the table for Guler.
It remains to be seen if that is accurate or not. If it is, then Real Madrid might have something to think about, no matter how much they like Guler.
Alonso knows exactly what he will get with Guler
Obviously, that is a huge transfer fee. And it would represent a risk, especially for a club like Chelsea, who have spent heavily on youngsters over the years without any results to show for it.
The one positive is that Alonso will know exactly what to expect from Guler, having managed him at Real Madrid, albeit for a short time.
It was during this period that Guler became a starter. It is easy to forget that opportunities had been harder to come by under Carlo Ancelotti.
So, there appears to be a great working relationship between Guler and Alonso. In fact, he recently confirmed that the two have remained in touch despite the Spanish manager’s Real Madrid exit months ago.
